September 21, 2014
Dear Room 14 Families,
The school year is really
progressing nicely. I want to thank you
for making this a great year thus far.
We are now at 24 students, and with the smaller class size, we can accomplish
so much more.
Many of you have been concerned
about the grades your child has been receiving in Reading Comprehension. Specifically, the Question and Answer
Strategies (“QAR”) have proven to be challenging. I want to assure you, your child is not
graded solely on reading comprehension QAR tests. As the year progresses, students will gain
familiarity and will begin to see results and more success.
QAR strategies are broken up into four
groups:
1.
RT - Right There – The answer is in
one place in the text.
2.
TS - Think and Search – The answer
is in the text, just in several places.
3.
AM - Author and Me or I for Inferencing – The answer
is not in the text. Think about what you
know and what is in the text. How do
they fit together? (AM and I are the
same strategy)
4.
OMO - On My Own or DC – Drawing Conclusions - The
answer is not written in the text. You
have to think about what you already know.
(OMO and DC are the same strategy)
These strategies are used to (1)
improve students reading comprehension, (2) teach students how to ask questions
about their reading and where to find the answers to them, (3) encourage
students to think about what they are reading, and (4) inspire them to think
creatively and work cooperatively while challenging them to use higher-level
thinking skills. These strategies are
not merely 3rd grade specific.
You will see recurring use of them as your child moves on to the upper
grades. Greater familiarity now will
greatly benefit them going forward.
My hope is this letter clarifies and eases
some concerns many of you are having. As
always, please feel free to contact me with any questions you may have.
Warmly,
Mrs. Barnes
